The iceberg, called B-15, has been drifting away from Antartica for around 20 years, covering more than 6,600 miles. The iceberg has gradually fractured into multiple smaller sections, and the section pictured is called B-15Z.

This map tracks the course of B-15Z over time, and the iceberg is now passing the South Georgian Islands. The iceberg is nearing the equator, and the warmer tropical waters will quickly melt away the gargantuan ice mass,

These maps from 2010 show the availability of grocery store locations and also the percentage of people who had a car to get there. The topic of food availability is already an interesting conversation.. is there enough food? Is there enough food, but it just isn’t distributed evenly? Why is healthy food more expense then unhealthy? Why has food become more of a business then of a way to survive? Take a look at these maps, because they bring another problem into the mix! Transportation and accessibility.

The information for the maps was collected from the USDA Food Environment Atlas and the maps were created by Meharry Medical College.

PM, or particulate matter, are tiny solid or liquid particles found in the atmosphere. Particulate matter is considered the most dangerous form of air pollution as the tiny particles can easily be absorbed by the lungs into the blood stream causing many health issues. The International Agency for Research on Cancer and the World Health Organization both consider particulates to be a Group 1 Carcinogen. PM 2.5 are particulates with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers. PM 2.5 particulates are especially dangerous as their small size allows them to penetrate the lungs more easily. We have taken data from the EPA and created a map that shows the mean PM 2.5 levels across the United States. Check out how clean the air is in your city or state below, and keep checking our site for more maps and data on air and water pollution!

It seems logical that the more money you have, the longer you would be expected to live. This would be because you can afford better healthcare, maintain a healthier lifestyle, have access to better nutrition, and probably have less stress when it comes to day-to-day life because you are financially stable. The New York Times recently released an article that affirmed this thought, but also gave an eye-opening spin on the life expectancy of the poor based on where they live, showing that cities like LA and New York the life expectancy of those under the poverty line is higher then other cities in the US.

Health plays a significant role in the life span of a human, which seems obvious but when you look at the numbers, it can be shocking. The Journal of the American Medical Association states that the richest men live 15 years longer then the poorest 1 percent. So why do the poor living in cities like Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Dayton, and Tulsa to name a few, have lower life expectancies? David M. Cutler who is a economist at Harvard explains that a lot of cities with the lowest life expectancy for the poor fall into the “drug overdose belt”. Other explanations are just the availability to clinics and health education. Increasing health resources would slowly help to increase life expectancy in cities with the lowest life spans.

Take a look at the map from the NYT and see where your area compares. Looking at where you live, do you think your area provides enough health resources for those who can’t afford it?

This really interesting map on International Institute for Environment and Development’s website, iied.org, shows populations of cities with more then 500,000 people from 1800 to the predicted 2030. The visual that this map gives shows how big our world really is. With a little more than 7 billion people right now, by 2030 that amount will surely grow. Makes you think about what the health, environment, food and water situation will look like when the predicted population for 2030 will be more then 8 billion. I think that if we can increase education efforts on population rise and conservation efforts, we can help to lessen that number or at least be more prepared.

Below is a screenshot from iied.org of cities in 1800 that had more than 500,000 people. London and Beijing had more than a million and Guangzhou and Paris are between 500,000 and a million people.

Looking at 2015, you can see that 1,029 cities had populations larger than 500,000. Take a look at their site and see what the projection is for the year 2030! Thanks IIED for the cool map!

all information for this post from iied.org. contact vertices@gis.com. click here for the site.

Weather.com has some pretty interesting maps related to air quality. If you are curious about the amount of tree, weed, or grass pollen, mold, and breathing index within the United States, take a look at their site! Below is a screenshot of one of their maps for mold spore counts, green indicates low counts and red shows areas of high counts. Go to weather.com to see all of the maps! What does your area look like?

I found this really interesting map on Natural Resources Defense Council’s website that shows existing and planned renewable energy sources across the United States. I think it is super important to look into and input renewable energy sources, and that the US should continue to be open in incorporating lasting energy efficient sources of power. I feel like many other nations are ahead of us in making the switch from non-renewable to renewable sources, so lets continue to step up! Take a look at the map and see what green energy sources are in your state or soon will be. The map shows wind, solar, advanced biofuel, biodigesters, geothermal, and low-impact hydroelectric facilitates that are currently in the US and planned to be built or operated soon. Check out the site to see the energy map for the US or take a closer look at each state on www.nrdc.org/energy/renewables/energymap.asp.

This map shows all the existing renewable sources in the US.

Posted by Intern Eva Gerrits. Click here to see the site. Contact gis@vertices.com